I tried the battery version, which does require you recharge it every couple of weeks, but the wired-in version is the top recommendation on our guide to the Best Video Doorbells.
A Better Birdhouse
I had a new-to-me problem this spring: bird invasion. A little bird made a nest in my front-door wreath without us noticing. One evening, my sister opened the door, and the bird flew out of the nest and straight into our house. After a 30-minute battle to get it outside again (and keep my cat from eating it), it wasn’t until we saw the bird fly off the door again the next day that we realized it was calling our home its home, too.
If this is a common problem at your house, our resident bird-gear tester Kat Merck has a solution: a smart nesting box. Birdfy makes a few different smart bird feeders we like for bird-watching, and the Nest Duo is a birdhouse that lets you watch the birds while they nest inside of it. It’s a slim, attractive box that will add to your front yard’s style while also packing two solar-powered cameras (one facing the entrance, one focused inside) so you can bird-watch from multiple angles. It comes with different hole sizes to appeal to different species, metal predator guards to prevent chewing around the hole, and a remote control to reset or recharge the camera without disturbing your feathered neighbors.
Stylish Smart Lights
Govee
Outdoor Clear Bulb String Lights
I’ve liked Govee’s smart outdoor string lights before, usually for my holiday decor, and have previously recommended something similar with a bistro-light-like look that happened to be smart. These clear bulb string lights are part of Govee’s current lineup and have a contemporary twist with a triangle in the center instead of the wire filament. These are a fun option for outdoor lights you can enjoy on warm nights, and they can do every color and shade of white without looking as bulky as permanent outdoor lights. (Added bonus, these lights are also Matter compatible!)
Fresh Bulbs
Cync
Smart LED Light Bulb, PAR38
If you have light fixtures you want to remote-control, add an outdoor smart bulb. There are tons to choose from, and you can usually find one from any brand you already have at home. The only downside is that outdoor-rated smart bulbs are usually 4.75-inch-diameter PAR38-style bulbs, so they’re best for downward-facing floodlights on your porch or balcony. They’ll likely be too big to fit in a wall fixture as a replacement for a normal-sized bulb. Don’t just grab any smart bulb—not all are outdoor-rated. Check for mentions of outdoor use and waterproof ratings to make sure they’re safe to use. I’m a big fan of Cync bulbs, and the brand has an outdoor version of the Cync Full Color bulbs I like to use indoors. You’ll be able to add fun colors as well as shades of white, so you can turn the porch a spooky orange or red for Halloween, pink for Valentine’s Day, or the colors of your favorite sports team on game day.
Remote-Controlled Garage
Chamberlain
MyQ Smart Garage Controller
Chamberlain
MyQ Smart Garage Door Opener with Integrated Camera
If your garage is the centerpiece of your home’s curb appeal, you can control it as easily as a smart door by adding a smart controller. You can do two different styles: I have the Chamberlain MyQ professionally installed smart garage opener, which means the device that controls my garage has these smarts built into it (plus a camera, but I find it doesn’t work great with how far the device is from my Wi-Fi router), or you can get a smart garage controller that can add smart features onto an existing garage door. Both let you check whether the garage is open or closed and operate it remotely, and you can add a video keypad that doubles as a video doorbell and can let you open or close the garage without your phone.
Smart Shades
SmartWings
Motorized Roller Shades
Lutron
Caseta Smart Shades
The front of my home faces west, so it’s absolutely baking at the end of the day. What I need to add are some of our favorite smart shades to automate closing the shades on that side of the house at the right time of day. These also give your home a nice, cohesive look and immediate, controllable privacy from the outside world. WIRED reviewer Simon Hill recommends the SmartWings shades as his top picks, and Lutron’s Caseta shades if you’re looking for a more upgraded look.
Invisible Swaps
Looking to add some smarts without touching your existing setup? These switch-ups can make your front door and yard smart without being visible.
Yale
Approach Lock
This smart lock just swaps out the inner half of your front-door lock to make it smart without requiring a new key or changing your exterior hardware. You can also add on a keypad—or not, if you’d rather keep the smarts a complete secret.
Cync
Outdoor Smart Plug
This outdoor plug is visible at the outlet itself, but if the outlet is covered by something or is around the corner from your front door, no one will know that your lights or other electrical devices are connected to this smart plug.
Smart plugs aren’t the most complicated smart home device — they really just turn stuff off and on — but they do make life a little easier. Since using smart plugs, I’ve grown accustomed to having the living room lamps click on just before sunset and go off when I say goodnight to Alexa or the Google Assistant/Gemini (Siri can turn off a few of my lights, but isn’t compatible with all of them). Most smart home device makers have a plug or two in their lineups, but finding one that’s compatible with your chosen ecosystem, that’s easy to set up and reliably connects can involve a little trial and error. That’s why we tried more than a dozen models to find the best smart plugs you can buy right now..
Best smart plugs for 2026
Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Assistant support: Alexa, Gemini, Siri, Samsung SmartThings | Energy monitoring: Yes | Matter support: No | Hub required: No
All of the plugs eventually did what they said they would, but each had a quirk or two that gave me pause – except TP-Link’s Kasa EP25. From installation to implementation, it was fuss-free and reliable. It’s also one of the cheaper plugs on our list at just $13 each (but you’ll usually find it in a four-pack) and one of the best Wi-Fi plugs overall. It works well with both iOS and Android and on all four smart home platforms. The Kasa app has a clean, intuitive design and includes the features you’d expect like timers, schedules, a vacation mode and smart actions (aka scenes).
TP-Link also makes Tapo smart devices, and now you can control both Kasa and Tapo products from the latter’s app. The Tapo app has more features and controls, so I recommend using that one after you’ve set up and linked your Kasa plugs.
The EP25 is an updated version of the HS103 that adds Apple HomeKit compatibility, so I was able to control it with both an iPhone and an Android phone. If you also live in a blended OS home, I recommend onboarding with the iPhone first. After tapping the + button in the Kasa iOS app, a HomeKit pop-up will prompt you to add the plug using the QR code from the box. (The code’s also printed on the plug, but that’s harder to access.)
Once set up in HomeKit, it was easy to add the plug to the other smart home apps. Google Home and SmartThings just need your TP-Link log-in details and Alexa uses the Kasa “skill.” Once you’ve added one plug, any future TP-Link devices you incorporate should automatically show up in each app. If you’re only using an Android device, the Kasa app will walk you through using a temporary Wi-Fi network to get the plug online.
After setup, I named the plug and assigned it a room (making sure it was the same in each app to avoid confusing myself). Then I programmed various routines and schedules and asked all three voice assistants to turn the light on and off – everything worked without a hitch. In the weeks of testing, the EP25 never had a connection hiccup, even after I relocated it to the basement, which is the farthest point from my router.
My single complaint used to be that sharing with another user wasn’t supported within the Kasa app. That feature is now supported in the Tapo app (to which you can easily add all your Kasa devices). But Google Home has worked best for my family to share smart home device control, between iOS and Android devices. It’s even great for families on the same OS.
Pros
Works with all four major smart home platforms
Solid, stable connection
Affordable
Easy setup
Cons
Model is four years old at this point
Engadget
Assistant support: Alexa | Energy monitoring: No | Matter support: No | Hub required: No
If you have many Amazon Echo devices and use Alexa to answer your questions, control your music and manage your timers, Amazon’s smart plug makes the most sense. Your Echos and Alexa app already have your details, so you won’t have to create an account, enter your Wi-Fi password or switch to a different app, which makes setup mindlessly simple. In addition to naming your plug, you’ll also want to designate it as a light (if that’s the case) under Type in the settings menu. That way, when you say, “Alexa, turn all the lights off,” it will act accordingly.
I was impressed with the speed of the onboarding process and how seamlessly the plug blended into the ecosystem, adding another IRL appendage to flex. I still get a small thrill when I say, “Alexa, goodnight,” and all goes dark. However, you won’t be able to use the Alexa smart plug with any other smart home app — but it’s not surprising Amazon makes the best Alexa smart plugs for it’s own ecosystem.
The only other drawback, and it’s not a small one, is the Alexa app’s lack of sharing capabilities. You can create households that let other people in your home access your Echo speakers through their phone, but they can’t see your smart home devices. If you’re the only one who needs app access and everyone else in your home is happy to interact via voice commands only, this plug couldn’t be simpler. At $25, it’s not the cheapest smart plug, but like all things Amazon, it goes on sale fairly often.
Pros
Dead-simple setup with Alexa
Stays reliably connected
Cons
Only works with Alexa
Can’t share app control
Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Assistant support: Alexa, Gemini, Siri, Samsung SmartThings | Energy monitoring: Yes | Matter support: Yes | Hub required: Only with HomeKit
The Kasa KP125M plugs are best Matter smart plugs we tried. They work with all four platforms, install easily and reliably maintain connections. Most Matter devices need to be initialized with a QR code, but this plug also supports Bluetooth onboarding, which saves a step. I set it up through the Kasa app first and because I already had another Kasa plug installed, the process was simplified, automatically prompting me to add the plug with a couple of taps. Adding the device to Alexa, Google Home and Samsung’s SmartThings worked the same way, with each app letting me know I had new devices available to add.
To add the plug to HomeKit, I had to scan the included barcode. The process didn’t work at first and I ended up having to long-press the button on the side to make it enter pairing mode. Unlike some Matter plugs, KP125M doesn’t require a Thread border router. And because it’s also a smart Wi-Fi plug, you don’t need a Matter controller, such as a smart speaker for access when you’re away from home. That said, many of the negative reviews on Amazon have to do with the plug’s poor HomeKit compatibility. In addition to the setup hitch I mentioned, the connection with the HomeKit app and Siri was extremely spotty until I added Apple’s HomePod mini to the mix as a dedicated hub. After that, the reliability improved.
The KP125M also provides detailed energy monitoring in the Kasa app. From the home screen, tap on a plug to see stats on its energy usage, along with an estimate of how much that energy will cost you on your next electric bill. You can even enter in your per-kilowatt hour pricing to get a more accurate picture. While we wish there were a way to see the energy usage from all connected devices at once, it’s still a useful insight to have on a per-plug level.
It’s important to note that our best overall pick is $7 cheaper and also works with all four platforms. The higher price tag is likely due to the Matter logo on the side. Honestly, I’d call the KP125M plug more of a hybrid Wi-Fi-Bluetooth-Matter plug, which could be why it played nice with every platform. Another Matter plug, the Eve Energy Matter plug, requires you to have a HomePod for HomeKit access, a Nest Hub for Google Home connection and a SmartThings hub to make it work with Samsung’s system. The Matter plug I tried from Meross requires Wi-Fi splitting to properly connect, which is doable, but inconvenient.
Pros
Works with all four major smart home platforms
A good starting point for Matter connections
Cons
Kasa’s non-Matter plug works just as well
HomeKit connectivity is spotty without a HomePod
Amy Skorheim for Engadget
Assistant support: None | Energy monitoring: No | Matter support: No | Hub required: No
An offline smart plug might seem like a contradiction in terms, but the is proof such a thing exists. It has no app, doesn’t need Wi-Fi and definitely doesn’t send your voice to any cloud for processing. Instead, the built-in mic listens for a few wake words and performs a set number of commands after you speak. Say, “Hey Emerson, lights on,” and whatever’s plugged into the smart outlet snaps on. Saying “Hey Emerson, power off,” turns it off again.
You can also set timers to wake the plug or put it to sleep in 15, 30 or 45 minutes or in one, two, four, eight or 12 hours. There’s a blue LED indicator that flashes to indicate various things, including power status, whether it heard your or not, or that a timer is running. The light will also help you set the wake word to Plug one through five — useful if you have more than one Emerson Smart plug in a room.
Immediately after plugging it in, the smart plug responded to my commands. It was easy enough to reprogram it to listen for “Plug three” using the power/program button and the timers I set properly shut off my lamp after the right duration. The 4-in-1 model I tested has a couple of USB ports and an always-on AC plug in addition to the smart outlet, which is clearly indicated. The plug itself is compact enough to not block the other outlet.
With no app and no Wi-Fi, there’s not as much control as with other smart plugs (the lack of scheduling abilities is probably the biggest disappointment). But the SmartVoice tech (also available in fans, heaters, air fryers and more) is still effective. That’s good news for the privacy conscious and anyone who doesn’t want the hassle of a complicated setup — they can still have the convenience of voice control.
Pros
No Wi-Fi or app required
Great for the privacy-conscious
Compact and sturdy design with extra outlets
Amy Skorheim for Engadget
Assistant support: Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri | Energy monitoring: No | Matter support: No | Hub required: No
If you need to get the most you can out of a single outlet, the should do the trick. It has three always-on plugs, three individually controlled smart plugs and a group of three USB ports that can be controlled as a group. It plugs into the top slot of a standard dual outlet and covers the entire face. It can be secured to the with an included mounting screw, which will replace the screw securing your outlet’s face plate.
There are LED indicators for each of the three smart plugs, as well as buttons, so you can turn things on and off manually if you prefer. I also appreciate that each of the plugs is oriented horizontally, with the grounding prong facing outward. That allows for a lot more space for awkwardly shaped adapters.
But my favorite feature is the handy, downward-facing nightlight, triggered by the onboard ambient light sensor. The light itself is dimmable and emits a warm yellowish glow. It’s such a pleasant touch — but you can easily turn it off or schedule when it should come on within the app if you’re using this somewhere that a nightlight isn’t ideal, such as a bedroom.
Like most TP-Link plugs I’ve tried, the Outlet Extender connected quickly and without a hitch to the Tapo app, and then synced up easily with Google Home and Alexa via account-linking. The printed QR code on the side got it connected to HomeKit. Over the week or so that I used it, I had no disconnects or other issues. I even stubbed my toes less often when I had to grab something from my darkened office at night.
Pros
Three independently controlled smart outlets
A little ledge holds your phone on top as it charges
Works with all four major smart home platforms
Emporia
Assistant support: Alexa, Gemini | Energy monitoring: Yes | Matter support: No | Hub required: No
Emporia’s smart home ecosystem extends to EV chargers, solar equipment and whole-home energy monitors. So it’s not surprising the company makes some of the best smart plugs with energy monitoring. In the case of an LED lamp, the power draw is going to be miniscule — but these plugs can give you insight into bigger loads such as those from a humidifier or even a small space heater (the plug can handle 1500 watts at 120 volts with a max load of 15 amps). A four-pack goes for around $35, which puts each plug below the cost of many plug-in power meters. So for less money, Emporia’s plug can gather stats and stop idle devices from vampiric energy drains.
Last year, Emporia issued a preemptive recall on its plugs for a potential fire risk. They worked well enough before the recall to earn an honorable mention in an earlier iteration of this guide, but the updated plugs are now faster to connect. A finicky setup prevented us from fully recommending it before but now, that kink has been worked out. In addition to useful monitoring, easy setup and reliable connections to Alexa and Gemini, the plugs’ comprehensive app can also incorporate Emporia’s other equipment, should you ever decide to add those devices to your home’s power grid.
Tapo
Assistant support: Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Samsung SmartThings | Energy monitoring: Yes | Matter support: Yes | Hub required: No
First things first: this is not a small power strip. The measures about 14 inches long and three inches wide, which is probably bigger than what most people are used to in such a device. But it’s not just taking up space. The six AC plugs are generously spaced and each one can be individually controlled. There’s a convenient on/off rocker, three USB-A ports (though those aren’t smart-enabled) and it’s also a surge protector. The substantial cable is three feet long, which is reasonable for a power strip and gives you options for placement.
The Tapo 360 is Matter-certified and compatible with all of the major smart home platforms. I had no trouble setting it up with any of them, aside from the usual initial hiccups with HomeKit. You’ll use account-linking with your Tapo credentials to get it set up with Google, Samsung and Amazon’s systems, and use a QR code for Apple’s. If, like me, you can’t get HomeKit to discover it at first, try turning the plug off for 20 seconds or so, then close and reopen the HomeKit app and try again.
In addition to giving your appliances app, voice and scheduling control, the smart strip also monitors energy usage from each plug, which you can view in the Tapo app. I plugged in my space heater and saw the appliance chewed up two kilowatt hours in one morning, prompting me to turn the dial down to low instead of medium.
The Tapo app is fairly well-featured and easy to use. It can handle schedules for each of your Tapo or Kasa plugs, as well as routines and automations to control multiple devices from TP-Link. Of course, if you want smart devices from other companies to be part of your automations, you’ll need to rely on your assistant-enabled platforms — and the Tapo 360 works seamlessly with Siri, Alexa, Bixby and Gemini.
Pros
Six individually controlled outlets
Energy monitoring for each plug
Easy set up with any smart home ecosystem
The best outdoor smart plugs for 2026
Most people will likely use outdoor plugs for two things: patio lighting and holiday string lights. The devices are designed for the outdoors with a weatherproof protection rating of IP64 or higher, which means they’re impervious to dust and can handle splashing water from rain and sprinklers. They have a longer Wi-Fi range than indoor plugs, for obvious reasons, and many have dual outlets, with individual control over each one.
Setup is the same as for indoor plugs: you’ll use your phone to help the plug find your Wi-Fi using its companion app. The only tricky part is getting your phone within Bluetooth range of the plug (which it uses to initialize setup) and in Wi-Fi range at the same time. I had to awkwardly stand at a triangulated point in the middle of my driveway to get things communicating properly. Once set up, the plugs will communicate using your router for voice and app control and your phone needn’t be anywhere near the plug.
Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Assistant support: Alexa, Gemini, Siri | Energy monitoring: Yes | Matter support: No | Hub required: HomeKit function is better with a HomePod
The TP-Link Kasa EP40A reliably adds outdoor control to your world. The device looks like most smart plugs designed for outside spaces, with two downward-facing receptacles on the body and a short cable leading to a three prong plug. Unlike others, the plug head exits the cable at a right angle, so the unit hangs flat against the wall. That keeps things neater, but can get in the way of other items that might need access to the outlet.
Setup is the same as with indoor Kasa plugs: download the app, create an account and add the device. You won’t be asked to scan a QR code to connect with Alexa or Google Home — just go to the respective app and the device should pop up after it’s set up with Kasa. For Homekit, you’ll need to scan the code, which is both in the box and on the back of the plug itself. It took a few attempts to get connected to HomeKit, but nearly every time I initialize a smart home device with Apple’s ecosystem I hit a similar snag, so I don’t blame the plug.
Once connected, I was able to ask Siri to turn on the holiday lights. (I even asked the Gemini to shut them off and Alexa to light them up again and assistant switching was glitch-free.) If you want to use the Tapo app, you’ll find user-friendly controls and a straightforward scheduling feature.
When I moved the plug from the garage to the side of the house, every system found it quickly and no re-install was necessary. In use, the plug maintains its connection and responses are quick. I’ve been using this one for my patio string lights for a year now with no hiccups.
Pros
Works with all four major smart home platforms
Cons
More expensive than the Wyze plug
Best uses for a smart plug
Before you buy one, it helps to know how a smart plug works best. They are designed for things that have an on/off switch, making them great for doing things like turning regular ol’ lamps into smart lights. If you want a fan to move some air around before you get home, a smart plug can help. You can load a basic coffee maker with grounds and water the night before and wake up to a fresh pot in the morning. And instead of an air purifier running all day, you could set it to just run when you’re away.
But gadgets that need to be programmed further, or require a stand-by mode, aren’t ideal. If you want to control built-in lights, you’ll need a smart light switch, which are more involved than smart plugs as they can involve in-wall installation. Smart bulbs are also an option for automation, and we have an entire guide devoted to those.
Some smart plugs can even monitor how much energy they use and display those figures within their companion app. That might not be much use on its own, as lamps with LED light bulbs consume very little energy, but it could help you keep tabs on your overall energy consumption.
What to consider when buying a smart plug
Setup and use
Adding a smart plug to your home is relatively simple. You’ll use the manufacturer’s app to initially connect, after which you can add the plug to a compatible smart home ecosystem so you can use voice control and other features. Both the brand’s app and your smart home app will let you name the plug, set schedules and program “routines” which provide automation for multiple smart devices at once. But as you can guess, a manufacturer’s app only lets you control products from that brand. If you want whole-home automation, operating, say, a plug from TP-Link’s Kasa, a smart bulb from Philips Hue, a smart thermostat from Honeywell and a camera from Arlo without switching apps, you’ll need to use a smart home platform, which means you’ll need to consider compatibility.
Compatibility
Smart home devices connect through wireless protocols, often using more than one to communicate with your phone, smart speaker, router and in some cases, one another. The majority of smart plugs use Wi-Fi, but some have recently incorporated Matter, a relatively new wireless standard intended to solve integration issues between different brands and manufacturers, while also improving security and reliability.
More of these smart plugs are coming to market and, for now, most Matter devices work via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a low-power mesh network called Thread. Matter requires a controller that stays at home, like a hub or smart speaker, to manage things when you’re out and about.
As for Bluetooth, most plugs, including all Matter plugs, use the short-range protocol to get the device set up for the first time. Some can continue to run on Bluetooth in the absence of another option, but the connection isn’t as reliable and you won’t be able to control the plug when you’re away from home, or perhaps even just on the other side of the apartment.
Because Matter is relatively new, it may be easier to consider the manufacturer’s system you’d use the most. There are four major “branded” smart home platforms: Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, Apple’s HomeKit and Samsung’s SmartThings. The first two work with the widest range of brands and are compatible with both iOS and Android devices. HomeKit not only limits app access to Apple devices, but it’s also compatible with fewer plugs. You can also turn to open-source software like Home Assistant or go with the larger functionality of IFTTT if you want to, say, have your lights turn off when your Uber arrives. For the purposes of our testing, we stuck with the four big players. Nearly every plug we looked at clearly stated which platforms it works with, both on the packaging and retail product pages.
Of course, there’s no rule that says you have to stick with one home assistant. You might have an Echo Dot in the basement, a HomePod in the living room and a Google Nest Mini in the kitchen, each controlling any compatible devices. My kid has a great time telling Alexa to turn on a light then asking Google’s Gemini to turn it back off.
Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget
Hubs and smart plugs
All of our top picks recommended here don’t require a hub and connect directly to your home’s Wi-Fi router. That means if you already have wireless internet and a smartphone or tablet, you can quite literally plug and play. The exception is Apple’s HomeKit. If you want to pair up a compatible plug with that platform, you’ll need a HomePod speaker, Apple TV or an iPad that stays in your home to enable remote control when you’re away.
Some smart plugs require a hub regardless of which platform you use. For our guide, we focused on the simplicity (and lower cost) of options that work on their own, but hub-dependent devices may make sense in certain situations. Some companies, like Aqara and Lutron for example, make a vast range of smart home products, adding automatic shades, window sensors, smart locks and air quality monitors to the more traditional cameras and plugs. If you’re going all-in on one brand and plan to get a plethora of connected devices, a hub can keep your Wi-Fi network from getting too crowded and provide a more seamless setup with reliable connectivity. Zigbee devices use their own protocol (different from Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) and also requires a hub.
Sharing
Once a plug is set up with your platform and voice assistant of choice, anyone can control the plug just by talking. If someone else wants to control things with their phone, things get more complicated. Google makes it easiest, allowing you to invite another person just by tapping the + button within the Home app. Whomever you invite will have full access to your connected devices – including cameras – so this is only for people you trust the most.
HomeKit makes it similarly easy to grant app access to someone else, but as with most things Apple, it only works for other iOS users. Amazon only allows you to share access to your Echo, not your connected home devices.
Many smart plug manufacturers allow you to share control through their app by inviting another person via email. But this only grants access to devices of that brand. Hopefully as Matter expands, multi-admin features will become more widespread.
If you get a new Wi-Fi network
Most people will wirelessly connect their smart plugs to their home’s Wi-Fi router. Matter, Z-Wave, Thread and other smart home protocols can work over local networks, but for most setups, the signals telling your plugs what to do will be dispatched through your router. If you happen to get a new one (like I did when it became clear my very basic gateway could not handle the number of smart home devices being tested) you’ll need to take a few steps to get everything reconnected.
Depending on the brand, the steps may simply involve using the plug’s companion app to update your credentials (network name and password). Or it will require deleting the device in the companion app, doing a factory reset (typically by pressing the onboard button for 10 seconds) and setting up the plug like it’s brand new. GE Sync and Emporia plugs allow for a credentials update via their apps, others, like TP-Link Kasa and Meross plugs require deletion and a factory reset to get along with your new network. Amazon’s smart plug updates automatically after updating the associated Echo device.
How we tested the best smart plugs
Before I decided which smart plugs to test, we considered brands Engadget staffers have had the best experiences with, both in review capacity and personally. We also checked out other online reviews. I then looked at factors like price, compatibility and relative popularity. Then, I tested about a dozen plugs using their companion apps and the four major smart home ecosystems. With lamps, lights, heaters, fans and more plugged into them, I set schedules, create routines, use voice control and generally live with the devices to evaluate them. I and continue to test good candidates as new models hit the market.
Other smart plugs we tested
Eve Energy Strip
The only works with HomeKit and it’s a bit more expensive than our pick for a smart strip. But it’s an exceedingly attractive device complete with an aluminum frame and easy-to-read LED buttons. Those act as both indicators and manual switches for each of the three, individually controlled and nicely spaced plugs. Setup happens through the HomeKit app but after that, you can control the plug (and curiously, many other smart home devices active in your HomeKit profile) through the Eve Energy app. Here, you’ll be able to create schedules and automations as well as monitor the plug’s energy usage.
Meross Matter plug (MSS115)
I wasn’t able to test the Meross Matter plug fully. It requires Wi-Fi splitting, a process that’s certainly possible for the average consumer, but more involved than it should be, considering the more than dozen other plugs I’ve tested don’t require such a step. The plug itself also blocked the other outlet. Meross has an updated version of the Matter device on the way, one that looks to solve both issues and we’ll update this guide accordingly once we’ve had a chance to test it.
Roku Smart Plug
Roku’s smart home gear is basically Wyze equipment with an app and packaging that are more purple. The Roku smart plug performed just fine with both compatible voice assistants (Alexa and Gemini). The companion app doesn’t offer scheduling that revolves around the timing of the sunset in your area, but the plugs go for less than $10 each and if you’ve got a Roku TV or streaming device set up and want to keep everything on-brand, it could be a fit.
Aquara Smart Plug
The Aqara plug requires an Aqara hub. In tests, the connectivity was solid and the companion app allowed for useful if/then automations that can rope in other Aqara devices like locks, window shades, cameras and more. The plug also worked well with voice assistants from Amazon, Google and Apple. As a stand-alone plug, however, it’s tough to recommend the nearly $100 combo to anyone who isn’t planning to get a complete Aqara smart home setup.
Smart plug FAQs
What are the disadvantages of a smart plug?
While they’re great when everything is working properly, smart plugs can be frustrating, adding a layer of complication to the simple act of turning on a light, if something goes wrong. For example: If your Wi-Fi goes out, your smart plug won’t work. If the smart plug loses its connection to your router, it won’t work. If you change your Wi-Fi password or provider, you’ll have to re-program your smart plugs. If you forget what you named a particular plug during setup, you may be faced with an irritating conversation with your voice assistant. The best way to avoid some of those problems is to get a plug that works reliably, which is one of the features we considered for this guide.
How much power does a smart plug draw?
Smart plugs don’t draw much more power than whatever you’re plugging into them. True, they remain on standby to await instructions from your smart assistant or other controller, so they’re always using a small amount of power. But if, for example, you set a light to automatically turn off at night, and that light would otherwise stay on unnecessarily, the smart plug will save far more energy than the watt or two extra that it draws.
Do smart plugs use Bluetooth?
Some smart plugs use Bluetooth to connect to your phone during setup. After that, most connect to your home’s Wi-Fi network.
What appliances should not be plugged into a smart plug?
Common sense will help you determine what not to plug in. Obviously anything dangerous like power tools should not be plugged into a smart plug. Appliances that require supervision, such as space heaters and curling irons, shouldn’t be set to turn on automatically if no one will be around. You also shouldn’t bother with anything that needs further programming. Simple on/off appliances like lamps and fans work best.
If you watched Ring’s Search Party Super Bowl spot and felt two things at once, aww and uneasy, you’re not alone. The feature is built to help find missing pets, but it also adds another layer of AI scanning to cameras that already watch your front yard.
If you want a Ring Search Party opt out, you can do it in the Ring app in under a minute. The switch is inside Control Center, and it’s set per camera, not as one global toggle.
Ring says Search Party is available in the US for supported doorbells and outdoor cameras. It can look for a neighbor’s missing dog, and it can also watch for visible flames or smoke during active wildfire events through a setting Ring calls Fire Watch.
Where the toggle actually lives
Open the Ring app, go to the main dashboard, tap the menu icon, then open Control Center and select Search Party. You’ll see two separate controls, Search for Lost Pets and Natural Hazards (Fire Watch). Each one can be turned off for each camera using the on-screen icons, the pet icon for lost dog matching, the flame icon for fire monitoring.
If you use Stick Up Cam or Outdoor Cam, Ring notes you should set the install type to Outdoor. Otherwise, you may not see the right options.
Why it feels different than motion alerts
Ring says the system can send you a notification when your camera spots what it thinks is a match, and you decide whether to share a relevant snapshot or video to help. For some people, that decision point isn’t the issue. It’s the idea that the camera is doing extra category-based detection in the first place.
On the fire side, Ring warns Fire Watch can be wrong, including false positives and false negatives. It also says it isn’t a substitute for smoke detectors or official emergency alerts, and you should follow local authorities.
The cleanest way to opt out
If you want fewer surprises, switch off both Lost Pets and Natural Hazards for every compatible device you own, then revisit the setting only when you need it. If you keep Fire Watch on, treat it as a bonus signal, not a safety system, and keep official alerts as your primary source.
Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro for $170: WIRED reviewer Julian Chokkattu also tested the U-Bolt Pro from Ultraloq, which uses the same app that the Fingerprint models do. He says it took a few attempts to connect to Wi-Fi, but once connected it worked well with no Wi-Fi issues during the year he tested it. It has built-in Wi-Fi, uses four AA batteries that last around two months (less in super colder weather), and has a hidden mechanical keyhole as a backup in case the battery dies when you’re not home, and you get two spare keys. There’s a charging port underneath so you can give it some juice during emergencies if the lock is dead and you don’t have the key, but we wish it was USB-C instead of Micro USB. It’s a good lock, but he prefers the Fingerprint models since it has a nicer build quality and it has eight batteries, so the lock lasts twice as long.
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch for $300: I’ve been testing this lock for a few weeks in tandem with ADT’s security system and Google Home. Unlike the other locks in this guide, I didn’t install it—an ADT tech did, and installation can be included in an ADT security package like the one I’ve been testing. For the lock itself, it’s worked well. It’s a full dead-bolt replacement, and came with a single key, and has both a keypad and fingerprint reader for entry options. The fingerprint reader is speedy and efficient, and my husband says the keypad has been easy to use (you activate the keypad by touching the Yale button, but if your finger is registered to the app, that’s also the fingerprint reader button). Instead of using the Yale app, I primarily control this app with the ADT+ app, but there are versions of this lock that don’t use or require ADT’s service. I do wish I could set it to lock after every 10 minutes, rather than three, but that’s the longest option the ADT+ app gives me to set it. I can also partially control it in the Google Home app, but only to lock and unlock it, not to dive into detailed settings like passcodes and auto-lock times.
Yale Assure Touchscreen Lever Lock for $240: I’ve been testing this no-dead-bolt lever door handle with its sleek-looking keypad for four months on the door to my house from inside my garage. Unlike Yale’s Approach Lock, it won’t sense you coming, but it awakens with even a light touch to the keypad. It’s easy to lock and unlock and view the activity log on the Yale Access app, or you can use a pin code to unlock. You can also create different codes for different people to know exactly who’s been coming and going and when. It works with Google Home, Apple Home, and Alexa, and has also got two physical keys for backup in case of battery failure. Setup wasn’t exactly a breeze, requiring the Bilt app to install and then the Yale app to configure, and online reviews are quite voluminous in their complaints of both battery life and the handle becoming loose over time. Neither of these issues has arisen during our test period; however, we will update this review with further observations as time goes on. —Kat Merck
Avoid These Smart Locks
We haven’t loved every smart lock we’ve tried. These are the ones to skip.
Defiant Smart Deadbolt
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Defiant Smart Deadbolt Powered by Hubspace for $100: The shoddy build quality is a huge turn-off on this smart lock from Defiant. The buttons are mushy, it’s very loud, and what is the point of Wi-Fi connectivity if it never connects to Wi-Fi? I finally got it paired with the Hubspace app, but the lock never stayed connected to my Wi-Fi, so I had none of the benefits. —Julian Chokkattu
Eufy FamiLock S3 Max for $400: This lock is cool because it includes a camera, letting the device double as a digital peephole (convenient for smaller family members!) and has a super interesting biometric option that uses the veins in your palm for authentication. Unfortunately, once installed, the lock didn’t work on my door, even though it was the correct size and placement.
Many readers of a recent Android Authority article made clear that they’re not willing to give Google another chance with their smart home setups.
Much of the skepticism is driven by a fear of product abandonment, poor software performance, or Gemini making basic controls worse.
Some commenters remain hopeful about the platform’s future.
It’s always a risk to bet on a comeback. When one of my colleagues recently explained why he was willing to give the Google Home ecosystem another shot, he admitted he might be foolish for doing so. While he’s ready to take the gamble on the next generation of Gemini-powered devices, it seems the majority of our readers aren’t. After years of glitches and abandoned products, many users are suggesting they’ve been burned by Google one too many times to trust the company with their smart home gear.
The general sentiment left in the comments section of Joe Maring’s article is a vote of no confidence in the platform’s future. The original piece argued that new hardware, a redesigned Home app, and the integration of Gemini could finally put Google’s smart home back on track. However, the comments reveal a deep-seated frustration with the company’s track record, with many echoing one comment that Google has “destroyed all trust and goodwill.”
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For some, the issue is the financial sting from previous investments. One commenter, ridahoan, put it bluntly: “Buy Google home hardware? Are you serious? I have a thousand dollars of paperweights and hundreds of dollars of Google books that no longer function.” The fear of product abandonment is certainly understandable. One reader added to that general mood, asking, “Why on earth would ANYBODY EVER trust Google not to abandon something… Fool me once…”
Gemini is a significant source of anxiety for some users.
Beyond the fear of abandonment, some comments focus on the painful state of the software. One user described the Nest ecosystem as “PAIN AND SUFFERING,” characterized by constant bugs and glitches. For long-time user Adam Powell, the deterioration has been steady: “I’ve used a home mini speaker for years now, and I’ve witnessed the thing becoming more and more stupid as time passes. Things that used to be quick and easy require multiple requests, and so many features just straight up stopped working.”
Unsurprisingly, Gemini is also a significant source of anxiety for some users. While Joe expressed tentative hope for the AI, multiple comments report that Gemini is actually worse than the old Assistant for basic smart home functions. Reader tanmay2705 explained their fear, saying: “Gemini on Google Home is what I am dreading most. On my phone, Gemini is much worse than Google Assistant was at home control tasks.” Another user reported that since Gemini was “forced” onto their phone, it is “insanely slower to process” and fails to recognize the wake word.
Despite the overwhelming skepticism, a few readers are either satisfied with their current experience or hold some optimism. Reader Tom noted, “I’ve never really had any problems with Google Home and look forward to the new features.” Others shared the hope that Gemini will continue to improve and serve as a turning point for the ecosystem, with the results of the poll in Joe’s article reflecting this sentiment.
We certainly can’t blame anyone who isn’t willing to give Google another chance with their domestic setup, and Joe openly accepted that he was taking a risk. Ultimately, these comments underline the challenging path ahead for Google’s next generation of smart home products. The company’s new hardware and software won’t just need to meet a high standard — they’ll have to maintain it to regain the trust of many users over time.
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Odds are, you’ve probably seen or know someone who has a smart bird feeder. They’re fairly recognizable from a distance with their clear housing, cameras, and solar panels, and perhaps a friend or family member has sent you a photo or video of a bright goldfinch or handsome woodpecker (guilty). The question at this point, then, is whether these things are really worth the $100-plus price tag. Are they actually durable? And what about the squirrel problem?
Lucky for you we’ve been testing the most popular smart bird feeder models, including Netvue’s original Birdfy feeder ($135) and Bird Buddy’s new Pro model ($199), for months on end—in rain, snow, and heat, and in a yard with persistent squirrels. We’ve explored the apps and notification settings, installed any optional solar panels, and used Cornell Lab’s All About Birds—as well as Google Lens and our own local expertise—to verify the accuracy of AI identifications.
Updated June 2025: We’ve added a hummingbird feeder from FeatherSnap, Birdfy’s new Bath Pro, and two options from Camojojo Hibird.
Table of Contents
Best Overall
Courtesy of Birdfy
Netvue
Birdfy Plastic Smart Bird Feeder
This cheery blue- or yellow-roofed feeder, from security company Netvue, is the first smart feeder former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano tested, back in 2022. At that time she gave it a 6/10 rating for its price and wonky AI. Both metrics have improved since then—I was impressed with the Birdfy app’s AI when I tested the upgraded 2 Duo (see below), and this feeder is very often on sale for $200 or less. If you pay $20 more, you get a lifetime subscription of AI identification, which is a solid deal. Without it, it’ll cost you $5 a month. This is the feeder I bought my elderly parents for Christmas during an Amazon Prime Day sale for its reliability and ease of use, though like Medea, they weren’t overly impressed with the AI. That said, I’ve tested feeders from multiple brands and, given the wide variability in lighting, shadows, and camera cleanliness, no AI is going to perform flawlessly. Unlike some brands’, Birdfy’s AI still works more often than it doesn’t.
Photograph: Medea Giordano
Medea found that the 1080P wide-angle camera picks up a lot more movement from non-birds, so you may end up with a ton of notifications depending on where this is placed. If you’re hoping for a bird-feeder/security-camera hybrid, though, this could be exactly what you want—especially since it offers color night vision. The IP65 plastic construction also makes this feeder durable and easier to clean, and the 50-ounce seed reservoir is far easier to fill than the Bird Buddy with its convenient flip-up top. Not all bundles come with a solar panel, but you can buy it separately. Unlike other feeders, the solar panel is not built in and will have to be mounted and connected separately with the included 9.8-foot charging cable. (The Birdfy comes with a pole mount, wall mount, and tree strap.)
Best Connectivity
Photograph: Kat Merck
Camojojo
Hibird 4K HD Smart Bird Feeder With Camera
If your router only allows for 5-GHz Wi-Fi, you may have been feeling you’re missing out on the bird feeder camera craze, as most of the cameras run on 2.4 GHz only. Lucky for you, there’s a feeder that not only runs on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz but is among the most feature-rich and reliable I’ve tested. It’s got a sturdy body, 4K ultra-HD video, 1080p photos, an included 128-GB SD card, and no subscription needed. (Though that may change, Hibird’s rep told me, as the brand’s overhead with research and development is not sustainable.) It’s easy to set up right out of the box, with clear instructions and a generous 1.5-liter feed container that’s simple to fill. The AI is OK, somewhere between Amazon brands and more established companies like Bird Buddy and Birdfy. The app also isn’t the snazziest, and the Chat GPT-like “Dr. Bird” question function is a bit corny, but everything else is extremely well done and the photo and video quality is truly top-tier.
Finding the right temperature in bed can be tricky. Feeling too hot or cold makes it tough to drop off and can wake you prematurely. Since our mental and physical health depends on sleep, that’s a problem. Eight Sleep has the answer. The Eight Sleep Pod 4 is a temperature-regulating mattress cover that tracks your body as you snooze, with a hub that pumps cooled or warmed water into the cover to help you stay in the land of nod for longer.
When I tested its predecessor, the Eight Sleep Pod 3 (7/10, WIRED Recommends), I was wary of the billionaire biohacking buzz, but it won me over. Aside from the increased comfort, the best sleep trackers all told the same story: My wife and I slept longer and got more deep sleep and REM with the Eight Sleep Pod than without. The Eight Sleep Pod 4 brings some welcome improvements, including greater comfort, quieter operation, and handy tap controls, so you don’t have to reach for your phone at night.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Sadly, better sleep does not come cheap. A Pod 4 Cover and Hub for a queen-size bed costs $2,599, but you must also take a year’s subscription to Autopilot for an extra $199. If you already have a subscription, you can transfer it to a new Pod, but you can no longer buy an Eight Sleep Pod without taking the Autopilot subscription. The UK Super King I tested costs £2,699, with a year of Autopilot at £199. It’s a real investment, but sleeping soundly can be transformative.
Hitting the Hay
The Eight Sleep Pod 4 Cover and Hub come in two large boxes. The mattress cover has rubber tubing inside and a soft, plush, dark material on top. It is elasticized for a snug fit on your mattress, and tubing must be routed from the top to plug into the hub. The hub is about the size of a desktop PC, with a fabric front and a big 8 logo. The hub is the brain of the operation, and it cools or heats water and pumps it around the cover.
Setup with the Pod 4 was similar but much quicker than the Pod 3. You pull the cylinder out the top of the hub and pour water up to the fill line. The priming process has dropped to around 10 minutes from a couple of hours for the previous version. You connect the hub to your Wi-Fi using the mobile app. The Pod 4 cover is much comfier than the Pod 3, and the hub is far quieter. It never broke 30 decibels when measured. It makes a subtle hum, like a white noise sleep sound.
There’s never been a better time to get a smart speaker, especially if you’re a music fan. When voice assistants first started infiltrating these devices, hands-free controls were really the star of the show. Even now, one of the most common ways that people interact with Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant is through a smart home speaker. But now you have dozens of options to choose from, and most of them sound much better than the first smart home products did. Sonos recently entered the game with its own voice assistant on its stellar-sounding speakers, and even lower-end models like the Echo Dot and Nest Mini have better audio quality than their first iterations did. If you’re struggling to pick the best smart speaker for your needs, we at Engadget can help. We’ve outlined our top picks below, plus all of the things you should consider before buying a smart speaker today.
Picking an assistant: Google vs. Alexa
The first thing most people should do is decide what voice assistant they want to use. Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa are both well-supported options that are continually evolving, with new features added at a steady clip. A few years ago, Alexa worked with more smart home products, but at this point, basically any smart device worth buying works with both.
It’s mostly a matter of personal preference. If you’re already entrenched in the Google ecosystem and own an Android phone, it makes sense to stick with that. And if you have multiple Google-based smart devices in your home, you can use Google Home to easily control and navigate your devices. But while Alexa isn’t quite as good at answering general knowledge questions, it syncs just fine with things like calendars from your Google account. And it works with perhaps the widest variety of smart home products as well. If you’ve never used Alexa or Google Assistant, you can download their apps on your iOS or Android phone and spend some time testing them out before buying a speaker.
There are downsides to having a smart home device that’s always listening for a wake word, as giving more personal information to Amazon, Apple and Google can be a questionable decision. That said, all these companies have made it easier to manage how your data is used — you can opt out of humans reviewing some of your voice queries, and it’s also less complicated to manage and erase your history with various digital assistants, too.
Sonos vs. Apple
If you buy a Sonos device with a microphone, you can also use the company’s own voice assistant, voiced by Giancarlo Esposito. It’s focused purely on music control, so you won’t use it to do things like send messages or ask the weather forecast. But as a music assistant, Sonos Voice Control is generally quite fast and reliable.
As for Apple, you won’t be surprised to learn the HomePod and HomePod mini are the only Siri-compatible speakers on the market. It’s rumored that Apple will potentially release a new range of smart displays, like its HomePod with a touchscreen, sometime soon. Apple’s Siri has a reputation for not being as smart as Alexa or Google Assistant, but it’s totally capable of handling common voice queries like answering questions, controlling smart home products, sending messages, making calls and streaming music via AirPlay. Technically, Siri and Apple’s HomeKit technology doesn’t work with as many smart home devices as the competition, but it’s not hard to find compatible gear. And Apple has most definitely improved Siri’s functionality over the last couple years, with handy features like and Intercom tool and routines that take advantage of the built-in temperature sensor in the HomePod and HomePod Mini.
Most people’s entry point into the smart speaker world will not be an expensive device. Amazon’s fourth-generation Echo Dot and Google’s Home speaker, the Nest Mini, are the most obvious places to start for two important reasons. One, they’re cheap: Both the Nest Mini and Echo Dost cost $50. Two, they’re capable. Despite the low price, these speakers can do virtually the same things as larger and more expensive devices, offering essential functionality
The Google Nest Mini was released in late 2019, but Amazon just refreshed the Echo Dot recently. The Echo Dot is the best small speaker with a smart assistant for most people and one of the most compact Alexa-enabled wireless speakers, period. Amazon keeps improving the audio performance across its Echo device line, and the Echo Dot is no exception. It produces much louder and clearer audio than I’d expect from a $50 speaker. The Nest Mini doesn’t sound bad, and it’s perfectly fine for listening in the bedroom while getting ready for the day, but the Echo Dot is a better all-purpose music listening device.
From a design perspective, Amazon broke the mold with the latest Echo Dot. Instead of a small puck like the Nest Mini, the new Dot is shaped like a little globe. It’s much bigger than the Nest Mini, but that size gives it room for higher-end audio components. Although mostly hands free, relying on Alexa to answer questions, set timers, work as an alarm clock and more, the Dot keeps the physical volume buttons and mute switch on top, along with a button to activate Alexa’s voice control. While the Dot doesn’t look as sleek as the Nest Mini, having physical buttons makes it easier to adjust volume and mute the mic. I do wish the Dot had a way to physically pause music; on the Nest Mini, if you tap the middle of the device, the music stops.
Overall, the Dot is the best budget choice for most people, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Nest Mini as another affordable smart speaker option. I generally prefer using Google Assistant over Alexa, and anyone who feels the same should go ahead and get the Nest Mini. The Dot does sound notably better, so if you plan to listen to audio on a regular basis, that’s probably the way to go. But if you only plan to use it for a quick song or podcast when you’re getting ready in the morning, just pick your favorite assistant and go from there.
Amazon, Apple and Google all have $100 smart speakers: the fourth-generation Echo, the HomePod mini and the Nest Audio, respectively. All three companies claim superior audio quality, so for lots of people these speakers will be the sweet spot between small speakers like the Echo Dot and Nest Mini and bigger, more expensive models like the Sonos Era 100.
Once again, Amazon punches above its weight. Like the Dot, the latest Echo is totally redesigned and the new internals were made with music in mind. It combines a three-inch woofer with two 0.8-inch tweeters — a more advanced setup than either the Nest Audio or HomePod mini. (The Google Nest Audio uses a three-inch woofer but only a single 0.75-inch tweeter, while the Apple HomePod mini makes do with a single “full range” driver and two passive radiators.)
In practice, this means the Echo is noticeably louder than either the Nest Audio or HomePod mini and much better suited to play room-filling sound than the competition. It also delivers an impressive bass thump and powerful mid-range frequencies. In fact, my main complaint with the speaker is that highs aren’t quite crisp enough. Compare the Echo to an Era 100 and the 100 sounds much more lively, while the Echo comes off a bit muddy. Then again, the 100 costs more than twice as much as the Echo.
While the Echo speaker may beat the Nest Audio and HomePod mini on volume and bass, Google and Apple’s speakers are not bad options. The HomePod mini is the quietest of the three speakers, but it still sounds balanced across the entire audio spectrum. The bass isn’t too assertive, but there’s more presence than I would have expected given its tiny size (it’s by far the smallest of these three speakers).
And it has a few nice perks if you’re using an iPhone 11 or newer. Thanks to the U1 “ultra-wideband” chip in recent iPhones, the HomePod mini can tell when there’s a phone near it, which makes handing off music from your phone to the speaker (or vice versa) quite simple. Playback controls for the HomePod mini will automatically pop up as well, and your phone’s lock screen will display music suggestions if the speaker isn’t currently playing. Setup is also dead-simple — just bring an iPhone or iPad near the speaker and it’ll automatically start the process.
Google’s Nest Audio is also quite pleasant to listen to. It’s a little louder than the HomePod mini, and has stronger bass, to boot. It doesn’t have the same overall power and presence that the Echo does, but for $100 it’s a well-balanced speaker that should serve most people’s needs.
All three of these speakers support stereo pairing as well, if you want more volume or crave a more immersive experience. For $200, two Echoes will fill a large room with high-quality sound and enough bass to power a party. A pair of HomePod mini or Nest Audio speakers aren’t quite as powerful, but it makes for a great upgrade if you’re a more avid listener. A pair of Nest Audio or HomePod mini speakers sounded great on my desk during the workday. I don’t need overwhelming volume but can appreciate the stereo separation. And two of those speakers together can easily power a larger living space, although the Echo is the better choice if volume is a priority.
Here too, I think that picking the smart assistant that works best in your house and with your other gadgets is probably the most important factor — but given Alexa’s ubiquity and the new Echo’s superior sound quality, it’s the best smart speaker at this price point.
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Max wattage: 10W | Battery life: N/A
If you have more than a passing interest in music, the Echo Dot and Nest Mini aren’t really going to cut it. Spending more money to upgrade to a speaker designed with audio quality in mind is one of the best decisions I’ve made. For years, I didn’t have a proper home music solution, but in the end the modest investment has made my life much more pleasant.
For years, the Sonos One has been a favorite of mine, combining a reasonable price with good sound quality and a plethora of useful features like easy multi-room audio, stereo pairing and compatibility with tons of services. This year, Sonos replaced the One with the Era 100, a $250 speaker that is an improvement in almost every way you can think of. Most importantly, it uses a new speaker array that includes two tweeters instead of just one as well as a woofer that’s 25 percent bigger. The end result is that the Era 100 handily bests the One in sound quality, with impressive bass, surprisingly huge volume and increased high-end clarity thanks to the additional tweeter.
There are a lot of other improvements beyond just sound quality. The Era 100 uses its built-in microphones for much easier Trueplay tuning, which optimizes the speaker’s output based on where you place it. Previously, you had to use an iPhone and walk around the room waving the phone to optimize your Sonos speaker, but now the process is much simpler. The Era 100 also includes line-in via a USB-C port and also has Bluetooth for when you just want to quickly connect a device to the speaker. It’s a bummer that you need to buy an adapter to hook up a turntable or other audio equipment to the Era 100, but since the One didn’t support line-in at all, I’m still glad it’s an option. You can also pair two Era 100s with a Sonos soundbar to get a solid home theater setup with surround sound.
There are a handful of other small but solid improvements, like redesigned controls on the top that make it easier to skip tracks and a mic mute switch that cuts the power to the mic for extra security. Like the One, it’s easy to set up Alexa or the Sonos voice assistant here, but the Era 100 doesn’t support the Google Assistant – so if you were previously using a Sonos speaker and relied on Google, you’re unfortunately out of luck here. Other than that one change, though, the Era 100 is an excellent all-around performer. It’s a great speaker on its own and is also a great starting point if you want to build a multi-room audio setup.
The Amazon Echo Studio remains an excellent-sounding speaker as well, and at $199 it’s a good bit cheaper than the Era 100 as well. If you want to save some cash or already have a bunch of other Echo devices in your smart home ecosystem, it makes sense as a speaker for higher-quality music playback. But given that it’ll be four years old this fall, I think it makes sense to opt for a newer device that’ll get longer support and updates.
Pros
Excellent sound quality
Gets loud
Built-in mics for Trueplay tuning and voice control
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Max wattage: Not specified | Battery life: N/A
As nice as the Era 100 and Echo Studio are, there’s only so much you can get out of them. If you crave more bass, clarity and stereo separation, the $550 Sonos Five is the best sounding smart speaker on this list. It has many of the conveniences in the Era 100 and sounds significantly better than any other Sonos speaker. It also sounds much better than the Echo Studio and anything Google is currently selling.
That said, the Five stretches our definition of a smart speaker here because it doesn’t have a built-in voice assistant. But it’s so good at music playback that it’s worth recommending you pick one up along with an Echo Dot or Nest Mini. Both of those speakers work with Sonos, so you can use voice commands to control the Five just as you would a dedicated Alexa or Google Assistant device. Sonos also refreshed the speaker two years ago with a new wireless radio as well as more memory and a faster processor. This means it should stay current and work with future Sonos software updates for years to come.
Since we’re talking “best” here, I’m going to go ahead and recommend that true music junkies splash out on two Five speakers and pair them in stereo. Put simply, it’s the most enjoyable experience I’ve had listening to music in years; I found myself picking up new details while listening to albums I’ve heard over and over again. It’s a wonderful experience and worth saving for if you’re a music lover. I didn’t know what I was missing until I tried the Five.
The Sonos Era 300, also recently released, is a $450 speaker that supports Dolby Atmos spatial audio from Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited. I’ve found that the quality of spatial audio mixes can be very hit or miss, but the good news is that the Era 300 sounds outstanding whether it’s playing back Atmos content or just standard tracks. It’s not quite as good as the Sonos Five, but it does have built-in microphones for voice assistants and easy Trueplay tuning as well as Bluetooth and the redesigned controls on the Era 100. Again, the main downside is that Google Assistant isn’t supported here.
Finally, if you’re an Apple Music user or have a lot of Apple hardware in your home, the second-generation HomePod is definitely worth considering. At $300, it’s a lot cheaper than these Sonos speakers but supports spatial audio like the Era 300. The Era 300 and Sonos Five are better speakers overall (and certainly much louder), but there’s a lot to like about the HomePod’s audio quality at its price point. It’s a clear, crisp vocal-forward speaker, and its design and software processing does a great job of making music sound like it’s all around you, even if you’re not playing back Dolby Atmos tracks.
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa, Sonos Voice Control | Max wattage: 10W | Battery life: 10 hours
While many people will be happy with a few speakers strategically placed throughout their home, you might want something that works outside as well as inside. Fortunately, you can find speakers that pair voice controls and strong music playback performance with portable, weatherproof form factors. For my money, it’s hard to beat the Sonos Roam for sheer versatility, not to mention audio quality.
When used inside the home, the Roam works like any other Sonos speaker. It fits in with an existing multi-room Sonos setup, or you can get a pair for stereo playback. Like most other Sonos speakers, it works with the Sonos Voice Assistant or Amazon Alexa, and it supports essentially every major music service available. It sounds very good given its tiny size; it’s quieter and not quite as clear as the Sonos One or the Era 100, but it still packs a surprising bass thump and distinct highs.
Since it was designed with on-the-go usage in mind, the Roam has a battery and Bluetooth so you can take it anywhere and use it far away from your Wi-Fi network. And its diminutive size makes it easy to take it everywhere, both around the house and out and about. It’s also the first Sonos speaker that is fully waterproof, as well as dust- and drop-resistant, so you shouldn’t worry about taking it to the pool or beach.
The Roam gets about 10 hours of battery life, whether you’re on Wi-FI or Bluetooth. There are other portable speakers that last longer, so if you’re really going to push the battery you might be better served by another option.
Another wireless portable speaker option is the $449 Sonos Move 2. It’s much larger and louder than the Roam, which is unsurprising given how much more expensive it is. It’s a nice upgrade over the previous Move, with two tweeters for more detailed sound, a battery that lasts more than a day and redesigned touch controls up top. It also has a line-in jack via USB-C, so you can hook up a turntable when you’re using it inside. If you’re willing to sacrifice portability for power and better sound quality (and can afford it), the Move 2 will be more satisfying than the Roam.
A better choice than the Move, unless you already have other Sonos products, is the $399 Bose Portable Smart speaker. It supports Alexa and Google Assistant commands, and since it can connect to WiFi, you can ask your preferred assistant to play music from Spotify, Amazon Music and other services. On top of that, it produces well-rounded sound, sports an IPX4 design with a convenient carry handle and will last up to 12 hours on a single charge.
Bose also has a good alternative to the Roam. The $149 SoundLink Flex supports Siri and Google Assistant commands, plus it has an IP67 design that’s roughly the size of a small clutch bag. It pumps out bright, dynamic sound and can pair with other speakers for stereo sound, too – it’s excellent and slightly cheaper than the Roam.
While this guide is all about smart speakers, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention all of the solid portable speakers out there that either have limited smart features or none at all. We have an entire guide to the best portable Bluetooth speakers, so if you’re purely concerned with portability and less about having an ecosystem of connected speakers, there are lots of options worth investigating.
Using an Eero mesh system without the Eero Plus subscription limits you to a basic set of options. You can schedule Wi-Fi downtime, set up a guest network, and use your Eero as a smart home hub. That might be enough for most, but here’s what you get if you subscribe. First, it’s worth noting that Eero used to offer a two-tiered subscription. Eero Secure was $3 per month or $30 per year and included advanced security, content filtering, ad-blocking, activity insights, and VIP support. Eero Secure+ was $10 per month or $100 per year and added third-party apps 1Password (password manager), Encrypt.me (VPN), and Malwarebytes (antivirus), as well as DDNS for remote network access.
Select internet service providers still offer Eero Secure, but the only option for everyone else is the rebranded Eero Plus, which includes everything listed above for $10 per month or $100 per year. The subscription also now includes Internet Backup, which allows you to add secondary backup networks (alternative Wi-Fi or hotspot connections) that the system can use, should your main Wi-Fi network go down.
Eero Plus is relatively expensive considering features like parental controls and real-time security are often provided for free by router manufacturers like Asus and Linksys. If you need the bundled apps, Eero Plus is arguably worth it, but even if it’s the only way to get the best Eero experience, it’s hard to justify such a high cost. Thankfully, in keeping with the brand ethos, everything is super easy to use, and the parental controls are among the best. Keep an eye out for the frequent discount offers. If you feel the subscription cost is too high, we suggest you choose a different mesh system.
If vacuuming is your least favorite chore, employing a robot vacuum can save you time and stress while also making sure your home stays clean. While once most robo-vacs landed on the higher end of the price spectrum, that’s not the case anymore. Sure, you could pick up a $1,000 cleaning behemoth, but it would be incorrect to assume that you need to spend that much money to get a good machine. Now, you can get an autonomous dirt-sucker with serious cleaning chops for $500 — sometimes even $300 or less. But you get what you pay for in this space; don’t expect affordable robot vacuum cleaners to have all of the bells and whistles that premium machines do. After testing dozens of robot vacuums at various price points, I’ve narrowed down our top picks for the best budget robot vacuums you can buy right now.
Are robot vacuums worth it?
Since I’ve tested dozens of robot vacuums, I’m often asked if these gadgets are “worth it” and I’d say the answer is yes. The biggest thing they offer is convenience: just turn on a robot vacuum and walk away. The machine will take care of the rest. If vacuuming is one of your least favorite chores, or you just want to spend less time keeping your home tidy, semi-autonomous robotic vacuum is a great investment.
There are plenty of other good things about them, but before we dive in let’s consider the biggest trade-offs: less power, less capacity and less flexibility. Those first two go hand in hand; robot vacuum cleaners are much smaller than upright vacuums, which leads to less powerful suction. They also hold less dirt because their built-in bins are a fraction of the size of a standard vacuum canister or bag. And while robo-vacs are cord-free, that means they are slaves to their batteries and will require docking at a charging base.
When it comes to flexibility, robot vacuums do things differently than standard ones. You can control some with your smartphone, set cleaning schedules and more, but robo-vacs are primarily tasked with cleaning floors. On the flip side, their upright counterparts can come with various attachments that let you clean couches, stairs, light fixtures and other hard-to-reach places.
What to look for in a budget robot vacuum
When looking for the best cheap robot vacuum, one of the first things you should consider is the types of floors you have in your home. Do you have mostly carpet, tile, laminate, hardwood? Carpets demand vacuums with more suction power that can pick up debris pushed down into nooks and crannies. Unfortunately, there isn’t a universal metric by which suction is measured. Some companies provide Pascal (Pa) levels and generally the higher the Pa, the stronger. But other companies don’t rely on Pa levels and simply say their robots have X-times more suction power than other robot vacuums.
So how can you ensure you’re getting the best cheap robot vacuum to clean your floor type? Read the product description. Look for details about its ability to clean hard floors and carpets, and see if it has a “max” mode you can use to increase suction. If you are given a Pa measurement, look for around 2000Pa if you have mostly carpeted floors.
Size is also important for two reasons: clearance and dirt storage. Check the specs for the robot’s height to see if it can get underneath the furniture you have in your home. Most robo-vacs won’t be able to clean under a couch (unless it’s a very tall, very strange couch), but some can get under entryway tables, nightstands and the like. As for dirt storage, look out for the milliliter capacity of the robot’s dustbin — the bigger the capacity, the more dirt the vacuum cleaner can collect before you have to empty it.
You should also double check the Wi-Fi capabilities of the robo-vac you’re eyeing. While you may think that’s a given on all smart home devices, it’s not. Some of the most affordable models don’t have the option to connect to your home Wi-Fi network. If you choose a robot vac like this, you won’t be able to direct it with a smartphone app or with voice controls. Another feature that’s typically reserved for Wi-Fi-connected robots is scheduling because most of them use a mobile app to set cleaning schedules.
But Wi-Fi-incapable vacuums usually come with remote controls that have all the basic functions that companion mobile apps do, including start, stop and return to dock. And if you’re concerned about the possibility of hacking, a robot vac with no access to your Wi-Fi network is the best option.
Obstacle detection and cliff sensors are other key features to look out for. The former helps the robot vacuum navigate around furniture while it cleans, rather than mindlessly pushing its way into it. Meanwhile, cliff sensors prevent robot vacuums from tumbling down the stairs, making them the best vacuum for multi-level homes.
How we test
When we consider which robot vacuums to test, we look at each machine’s specs and feature list, as well as online reviews to get a general idea of its capabilities. With each robot vacuum we review, we set it up as per the instructions and use it for as long as possible — at minimum, we’ll use each for one week, running cleaning cycles daily. We make sure to try out any physical buttons the machine has on it, and any app-power features like scheduling, smart mapping and more.
Since we test robot vacuums in our own homes, there are obstacles already in the machine’s way like tables, chairs and other furniture — this helps us understand how capable the machine is at avoiding obstacles, and we’ll intentionally throw smaller items in their way like shoes, pet toys and more. With robot vacuums that include clean bases, we assess how loud the machine is while emptying contents into the base and roughly how long it takes for us to fill up the bag (or bagless) base with debris.
Best budget robot vacuums in 2024
iRobot
Max mode: No | Wi-Fi capabilities: Yes | Object detection: Yes | Charging dock: Yes | Self-emptying dock: No
Both iRobot and Shark impressed with their affordable robo-vacs. But we think iRobot’s Roomba 694 will be the best cheap robot vacuum cleaner for most people thanks to its good cleaning power and easy-to-use mobile app. The Roomba 694 replaced the Roomba 675 last year but, aside from an updated exterior, it has the same build quality and is fundamentally the same vacuum. It looks much sleeker now with its new all-black design, giving it an aesthetic similar to some of the more expensive Roomba models. It has three physical buttons on it — start, dock and spot — and it connects to Wi-Fi so you can control it via the iRobot app. Unfortunately, your $274 gets you the vacuum and its necessary parts only so you’ll have to pay up immediately when you need a replacement filter or brushes.
Setting up this powerful robot vacuum is straightforward: Open the companion app and follow the instructions. Once it’s connected to your home Wi-Fi network, you’re able to use the app to control the vacuum whenever you don’t feel like using the physical buttons. However, the spot-clean function is only available as a button, which is a bit of a bummer.
iRobot’s app is one of the biggest selling points for any Roomba. It’s so easy to use that even someone with no prior experience will be able to quickly master the robot’s basic functions. iRobot’s app puts most pertinent controls on the homepage, so you rarely (if ever) need to navigate through its menu to do things like set a cleaning schedule.
We recommend setting cleaning schedules to really get the most out of the device. After all, these are semi-autonomous robots, so why not make it so you rarely have to interact with them? Doing so will ensure the Roomba runs through your home on a regular basis, so you’re always left with clean floors. The Roomba 694 in particular did a good job sucking up dirt and debris on my carpets as well as the tile flooring in my kitchen and bathrooms. The only thing I try to do before a cleaning job is get charging cables off of the floor – the Roomba will stop if it sucks something like that up and it’s relatively easy to extract a cable from the machine’s brushes, but I’d rather not have to do so if I can avoid it.
When it comes to battery life, the Roomba 694 ran for around 45 minutes before needing to dock and recharge. iRobot says run times will vary based on floor surfaces, but the 694 is estimated to have a 90-minute battery life when cleaning hardwood floors. While 45 minutes may be enough time for the robot to scuttle around most rooms in my apartment, those with larger homes may have to wait for it to recharge in order to clean everywhere.
iRobot has made a name for itself in the autonomous vacuum market for good reason. Its machines are polished, dead simple to use and the accompanying app is excellent. That ease of use (and the reputation of the iRobot name) comes with a slightly higher asking price, which many will be willing to pay. But there are plenty of solid options now that didn’t exist even just three years ago.
The Shark RV765 is the updated version of the RV761 that we previously recommended. Like the Roomba 694, the Shark RV765 has a slightly different design and a longer run time than the RV761, but otherwise they’re the same vacuum. You can still find the RV761, but it’s a little difficult to do so now that the latest model is available. Although we haven’t tested the RV765, we feel comfortable recommending it since we found the previous version to be a great affordable robot vacuum.
One thing that the RV765 fixes about the previous version is the latter’s ugly bowling-shirt design. The new model nixes that and opts for a sleeker, all-black look with three buttons for docking, cleaning and max mode. You could rely just on the buttons, but it also connects to Wi-Fi so you can use the Shark Clean app. As for the longer run time, that’s just a bonus. The RV761 ran for about 90 minutes before needing to recharge, which was plenty of time for it to clean my two-bedroom apartment. The additional 30 minutes of battery life on the RV765 should allow it to clean larger spaces more efficiently.
Some other things we liked about the RV761 include its spot-clean feature; adjustable wheels, which raise and lower automatically depending on the “terrain” and the obstacles in its path; and its intuitive companion app that allows you to start and stop cleaning jobs, set schedules and more.
Max mode: Yes | Wi-Fi capabilities: No | Object detection: Yes | Charging dock: Yes | Self-emptying dock: No
Anker’s $250 Eufy RoboVac 11S was one of the cheapest vacuums I tested but it also proved to be one of the most versatile. First thing to note: This robot vacuum doesn’t have Wi-Fi, but it does come with a remote that gives you most of the functions and smart features you’d find in an app (including a schedule feature). Eufy also includes additional brushes and filters in the box.
The “S” in this robot’s name stands for slim, and it’s roughly half an inch thinner than all of the other vacuums I tested. Not only does this make the 11S Max lighter, but it was the only one that could clean under my entryway table. This model has a physical on-off toggle on its underside plus one button on its top that you can press to start a cleaning. It always begins in auto mode, which optimizes the cleaning process as it putters around your home, but you can use the remote to select a specific cleaning mode like spot and edge clean.
The 11S Max has three power modes — Standard, BoostIQ and Max — and I kept mine on BoostIQ most of the time. It provided enough suction to adequately clean my carpeted floors, missing only a few crumbs or pieces of debris in corners or tight spaces around furniture. The cleaning session lasted for roughly one hour and 15 minutes when in BoostIQ mode and it has remarkable obstacle avoidance. Sure, it bumped into walls and some large pieces of furniture, but it was the only budget vac I tried that consistently avoided my cat’s play tunnel that lives in the middle of our living room floor.
As far as noise levels go, you can definitely hear the difference between BoostIQ and Max, but none of the three settings is offensively loud. In fact, I could barely hear the 11S Max when it was on the opposite end of my apartment running in BoostIQ mode. Thankfully, error alert beeps were loud enough to let me know when something went awry, like the machine accidentally getting tripped up by a rogue charging cable (which only happened a couple of times and neither robot nor cable were harmed in the process).
Overall, the Eufy RoboVac 11S Max impressed me with its smarts, despite its lack of Wi-Fi. The lack of wireless connectivity is arguably the worst thing about the robot and that’s saying a lot. At this point, though, the 11S Max is a few years old, so you could grab the RoboVac G20 if you want something comparable but a bit newer. We recommend getting the $280 G20 Hybrid if you’re just looking for a Eufy machine with some of the latest technology, but don’t want to spend a ton. It has 2500Pa of suction power, dynamic navigation and Wi-Fi connectivity with support for Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands.
Max mode: Yes | Wi-Fi capabilities: Yes | Object detection: Yes | Charging dock: Yes | Self-emptying dock: No
Roborock has made many improvements to its fleet of robot vacuums in recent years and the Roborock Q5 is a good, basic option that you can often find it on sale for between $200 and $300. There aren’t a ton of bells and whistles on this particular model, but it gets the basics right. It supports 2700Pa suction power, precision mapping with LiDAR and app and voice control, plus its dustbin is fairly large at 470ml.
During my testing, I found the Roborock Q5 to be a capable cleaning machine, even on carpet that’s excellent at hiding a ton of cat hair. Its mapping capabilities are solid as well, and after each cleaning job, the Roborock mobile app shows you exactly where the machine went with small squiggly lines that follow its path. That’s handy because, if for some reason the vacuum doesn’t hit every single spot in a room that you want it to, you can send it back out to target using the “pin and go” feature.
Roborock’s app experience has improved as well: it’s no longer as confusing and nonsensical as it was in previous years. It’s still not the most polished app, but it’s much easier to find the controls for basic actions like starting a cleaning, choosing specific rooms or zones to clean and the like. I only wish the scheduling tool was more front-and-center — it’s buried in a menu, but also tucked away in that menu is a personal favorite feature that isn’t super common on robot vacuums: remote control. Roborock’s gives you the choice of on-screen buttons or a joystick to manually control the machine’s movements. While totally unnecessary, it’s a convenient feature to have if you’re very particular about where you want your robot vacuum to clean — or if you just miss the experience of driving an RC car.
First and foremost, always empty your robot vacuum’s dustbin after every cleaning job. Simply detach and empty the dustbin as soon as the robot is done cleaning, and then reattach it so it’s ready to go for the next time. It’s also a good idea to take a dry cloth to the inside of the dustbin every once in a while to remove any small dust and dirt particles clinging to its insides.
In addition, you’ll want to regularly examine the machine’s brushes to see if any hair has wrapped around them, or if any large debris is preventing them from working properly. Some brushes are better than others at not succumbing to tangled hair, but it’s a good idea to check your robot’s brushes regardless — both their main brush and any smaller, corner brushes they have. These parts are often easy to pop off of the machine (because they do require replacements eventually) so we recommend removing each brush entirely, getting rid of any tangled hair or other debris attached to them and reinstalling them afterwards.
Robot vacuums also have filters that need replacing every couple of months. Check your machine’s user manual or the manufacturer’s website to see how long they recommend going in between filter replacements. Most of the time, these filters cannot be washed, so you will need to buy new ones either directly from the manufacturer or from other retailers like Amazon or Walmart.
